


No More Silence

by pyreios



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Angst, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 04:25:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16825102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyreios/pseuds/pyreios
Summary: “You meant something to me.” His fingers twist the ring ‘round his fingers. “Everything was shit back then. Except you, Arthur Morgan.“ Arthur dares not say a word. He doesn't know if he even could. “I loved you. “Loved. The past tense makes his heart ache, and he is too much of a coward when it comes to the Heart to ask if it is all in the past, or if there's something salvageable worth repairing.





	No More Silence

“I thought you were dead.”

Arthur scratches the stubble just on the underside of his chin, looking everywhere but Charles’ wide eyes. “I probably was. After Dutch and John and Micah and… everythin’ I had to lay low. Took up a new alias. I was passin’ through Strawberry on account of a bear I had heard some folks whisperin’ about. Saw Marston…” Arthur hadn’t realised they were walking to the docks until Charles had stopped, clasping his shoulder with a heavy hand. Arthur almost wishes to embrace him, hold him, but that relationship was a lifetime ago.

He aches.

“You ended up here, dragging my ass outta a prize fight with Uncle on your trail.” Charles chuckles, shakes his head. “I went back, you know. Heard word up North and needed to make sure you saw a proper burial I-” His words are interrupted by hesitation, by a secret sigh. “I needed to make sure you had what you wanted. But then I saw Susan’s body, and your’s nowhere to be found. It hurt.”

“I had no body to be found,” Arthur mumbled, caught his breath when Charles stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowed. Their conversation would have to wait until they finished this fight, found Uncle, got back to Beecher’s Hope.

* * *

“Don’t worry about it John,” Arthur pats him on the back, saddles up his horse without a care. “I can do some measly groceries- Uncle ain’t no help and you don’t spend enough time with that boy a’ yers.” Arthur smiles at him, warm and familial. “Go be a father. Charles n’ I can take care of it.”

John relents, stalks back into the house. Arthur’s horse is saddled before he calls out Charles’ name, watches him poke his head out of the barn. “Supply run! Down in Rhodes - John made an order last time he was up there with Sadie.” Arthur calls out, and Charles walks out towards him. “Go with me?” 

Charles doesn’t catch his eyes, lumbers over to his own horse and mounts. Arthur barely catches the “Always” that leaves his mouth. 

They ride out, horses attatched to John's cart. They sit close to each other, purposefully ignoring the touch of their shoulders. They don't talk much, too quiet men with even quieter words, but the silence is filled with the stomping of horse hooves, the rolling of the wheels over dirt. It says it all. 

Halfway out near Emerald Ranch, they decide to camp. 

Charles brings it up and they hide their small fire in a clearing surrounded by trees, watch as the smoke furls upwards and lights the dying sky foggy. Charles sits across from the camp, and Arthur can only think about how wrong it feels. How foreign. 

Something glints on Charles’ hand in the soft moonlight, the edge of the firelight catching. Arthur squints to see, but its plain as day, just barely unmistakable. “You kept it? “ He asks against the howl of the wind. Charles finally looks at him for the first time in what feels like a lifetime. 

“Of course I did, “ he says simply enough, as if he does not know Arthur's whole world revolves around it. “You gave it to me.” He says it like it is obvious, as if that is the only reason Charles has not pawned it off, has not lost it, still wears it after so many years. Maybe it is. 

“Why?” He asks, as if he is dumb, as if the history between them is nothing more and nothing less than a dumb golden ring. Charles stares at him, chokes out a soft laugh. 

“You meant something to me.” His fingers twist the ring ‘round his fingers. “Everything was shit back then. Except you, Arthur Morgan.“ Arthur dares not say a word. He doesn't know if he even could. “I loved you. “

Loved. The past tense makes his heart ache, and he is too much of a coward when it comes to the Heart to ask if it is all in the past, or if there's something salvageable worth repairing. 

“If you want it back it's fine I ju- “

“No.” He can't let him finish that thought, can't let him think there is any world, any universe, in which Arthur Morgan does not love Charles Smith. “It's yours. It always will be.” He doesn't know if he's talking about the ring, or his affections. Maybe a little bit of both. 

“What are we doing, Morgan?” Charles sounds exasperated, the exhale of a sigh on his lips. Arthur is surprised, looks at him all wide eyes and shaking hands. “I'm not gonna be able to keep doing this. I need an answer from you. “

“I can't give you an answer if I don't know the question. “

“Why did you give me this. Start there,  _ please.  _ I need to know lest I make a goddamn fool of myself. “

“I didn't think I would see you again. I was going back. It was a death sentence, you know that, and you was helping make sure people got safe. I gave it to ya to remember me by. It was a pretty thing, but simple. Made me think of you. Hoped you'd think of me.“

“Dumb cowboy,” Charles muttered, then was up, around the fire, tugging Arthur into a hug, tucking his face into the space where Arthur's neck meets his shoulders. “To me it means  _ Always _ , Arthur. That's our thing thats what we are we're  _ Always _ . Ive worn it every day since you put it in my hand, and I have thought about you  _ every damn day _ since I stayed with the tribe.“ Arthur sucked in a breath, heart warm, head spinning, lungs feeling suckerpunched. “I know we're two men and I know it dont mean much in the eyes of anyone but You're my always, and I got tired of the dance we've been doing since you found me in Saint Denis. “

“I was afraid- “ Charles hugged tighter. “I wasnt sure what a couple of years could do.” 

“Apparently not enough to make you less dense. “

“I protest that!” Arthur pushed Charles off him, kept him close and just stared, took in the way his skin glowed fire in the orange light behind them. It was so easy between them, so simple to forgive and forget and fall into old habits that refused to die, still engraved into old bones and lingering glances. “I gave you the ring. It's only right I do it. “ Arthur couldn't meet Charles’ eyes, stared at their fingers now intertwined. “We can't do it where God recognizes it, and i know it dont make it much, but. Be my husband in everything but name. Please. “ 

“We've barely found each other again, barely made up, how can you be sure? “ for a man so keen on calling Arthur out, he was so very hesitant, unsure. 

“Charles, everything about finding you again has been like coming home. I love you,” he says, shy, unsure, so very  _ Arthur _ and it feels like coming up for air. 

“I thought you were _dead,”_ Charles gasps, and he says it so much lately that it feels like a gospel, hidden behind an army of trees reaching high heaven to the stars, a testimony of witnesses for their illegitimate vows to be heard. 

“I surely will be without you.” 

Charles kisses him, and Arthur thinks it just may mean yes. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> these cowboys make my heart hurt But i can assure you im in denial abt the ending  
> one day ill write smthn deserving of these cowboys but for now heres this quick write


End file.
